What We’re Reading: How to Improve Economy Class, TSA Controversy, and More

Caroline Costello's travel accomplishments include surviving a 2 a.m. whitewater rafting excursion in the Canadian wilderness, successfully biking from Dusseldorf to Cologne without a map, and gaining access to a covert pizza speakeasy in New Orleans.

Caroline is an active member of the Society of American Travel Writers (SATW). Her work has appeared on USA Today, the Boston Globe, AOL.com, MSNBC.com, ABC News, TODAY Travel, and CruiseCritic.com, among other publications.

This week, we were delighted to stumble across some clever secrets to making coach class a little more bearable (courtesy of The New York Times). Get the details, as well as the scoop on one very salty museum, the latest TSA controversy, and the answer to an age-old mystery: Why are there so many cats?

Make the Best of it in Coach

Earlier this week, we reported that airports and planes are going to get a lot more crowded. So The New York Times’ story on how to “carve out some comfort in coach” popped up at just the right moment. Times Reporter Michelle Higgins suggests that travelers opt for well-configured planes (some have roomier seats than others), use resources like SeatGuru (our sister site), or try calling a travel agent (you may be surprised at how invaluable an agent can be).

Pass the Kitsch

Feed your weird-museum obsession with a look at Gatlinburg, Tennessee’s Salt & Pepper Shaker Museum on Americana the Beautiful. Like most decent museums, this place turns the concept of a mundane everyday object on its head. It houses more than 20,000 salt and pepper shakers, which are fashioned after, well, pretty much anything and everything, from the Mona Lisa to McDonald’s food.

Cat Conundrum

Have you ever noticed that some cities are teeming with cats? I’ve experienced this in many a place. (Essaouira, Morocco, where armies of mewing creatures ruled the town’s twisting alleys, comes to mind.) Travel blog Legal Nomads offers an explanation for why one destination, Istanbul, has so many cats: Turns out the animals are revered in Muslim society. Read the blog, which is crawling with adorable cat pictures, and you’ll be reminded that sometimes it’s the little things (in this case, the furry little things) that make a destination memorable.

Did the TSA Mess up Again?

Last week, we reported that the TSA eased security procedures for seniors at some airports. The big question now is whether this will actually make flying safer for all of us. Here’s an interesting take on the issue: Consumer advocate Christopher Elliott argues that the TSA may have made a big mistake by adding “one exemption too many” to the security process. Elliott urges us to ponder the world’s oldest terrorist, who is 102 years old. What do you think?